Rhenopterus

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Rhenopterus
Temporal range: Lower Devonian, 409.1–402.5  Ma
Rhenopteridae.png
The carapace of Rhenopterus compared to that of other rhenopterids Brachyopterus and Brachyopterella .
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Order: Eurypterida
Superfamily: Rhenopteroidea
Family: Rhenopteridae
Genus: Rhenopterus
Størmer, 1936
Type species
Rhenopterus diensti
Størmer, 1936
Other species
  • R. macrotuberculatusStørmer, 1974
  • R. tuberculatusStørmer, 1936

Rhenopterus is an extinct prehistoric eurypterid. Fossils of Rhenopterus have been recovered from deposits of Lower Devonian age in Germany. [1]

Contents

Description

Rhenopterids were small, characterized by scattered tubercules and knobs on the outer surface of the exoskeleton. Their first two (or possibly three) pairs of walking legs had spines; the last two pairs were long and powerful, without spines. The prosoma (head) was subtrapezoidal, with arcuate compound eyes on parallel axes. The male genital appendages were short with two distal spines. [2]

Species

Rhenopterus contains three valid species, [1] with other named species now seen as invalid or part of other genera.

Invalid or reassigned species are listed below:

See also

Related Research Articles

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<i>Dolichopterus</i>

Dolichopterus is a genus of prehistoric sea scorpions, arthropods in the order Eurypterida. Fossils of Dolichopterus have been discovered in deposits ranging from Silurian to Devonian, and have been referred to several different species, some of them of dubious affinity to this genus.

<i>Mixopterus</i> Extinct genus of arthropods

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chasmataspidida</span> Order of arthropods

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<i>Brachyopterus</i> Extinct genus of sea scorpions

Brachyopterus is a genus of prehistoric eurypterid of the family Rhenopteridae. It is one of the earliest known eurypterids, having been recovered from Middle Ordovician deposits in Montgomeryshire, Wales. Though other species have been assigned to it in the past, Brachyopterus is today recognized as containing one valid species, B. stubblefieldi.

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<i>Ctenopterus</i> Extinct genus of sea scorpions

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<i>Parastylonurus</i> Extinct genus of arthropods

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<i>Strobilopterus</i> Extinct genus of Devonian organisms

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<i>Parahughmilleria</i> Extinct genus of arthropods

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhenopteridae</span> Extinct family of arthropods

The Rhenopteridae are a family of eurypterids, an extinct group of chelicerate arthropods commonly known as "sea scorpions". The family is the only family currently contained in the superfamily Rhenopteroidea, one of four superfamilies classified as part of the suborder Stylonurina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurypteroidea</span> Extinct superfamily of sea scorpions

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waeringopteridae</span> Extinct family of arthropods

Waeringopteridae is a family of eurypterids, an extinct group of aquatic arthropods. The Waeringopteridae is the only family classified as part of the superfamily Waeringopteroidea, which in turn is classified within the infraorder Diploperculata in the suborder Eurypterina. The earliest known member of the group, Orcanopterus, has been recovered from deposits of Katian age and the latest known surviving member, Grossopterus, has been recovered from deposits of Siegenian age. The name Waeringopteridae is derived from the type genus Waeringopterus, which is named in honor of eurypterid researcher Erik N. Kjellesvig-Waering.

<i>Brachyopterella</i>

Brachyopterella is a genus of prehistoric eurypterid classified as part of the Rhenopteridae family. Two species, both from the Silurian period, are known; B. pentagonalis from Norway and B. ritchei from Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of eurypterid research</span>

This timeline of eurypterid research is a chronologically ordered list of important fossil discoveries, controversies of interpretation, and taxonomic revisions of eurypterids, a group of extinct aquatic arthropods closely related to modern arachnids and horseshoe crabs that lived during the Paleozoic Era.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Dunlop, J. A., Penney, D. & Jekel, D. 2015. A summary list of fossil spiders and their relatives. In World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch , version 16.0 http://www.wsc.nmbe.ch/resources/fossils/Fossils16.0.pdf (PDF).
  2. Størmer, L. (1955) Merostomata. Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part P Arthropoda 2, Chelicerata, P39.
  3. Poschmann, Markus (2006-01-19). "The eurypterid Adelophthalmus sievertsi (Chelicerata: Eurypterida) from the Lower Devonian (Emsian) Klerf Formation of Willwerath, Germany". Palaeontology. 49: 67–82. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2005.00528.x .